Mini Chocolate Bites with a Crunch

My recent experimentation with no-oven cooking led me to these decadent mini chocolate bites. They’re a great snack that will satisfy your chocolate craving. These guilt-free treats are sweetened with the natural sugars in banana and Stevia, a plant-based no-calorie sweetener.

At first I made these without the nuts and seeds. They were very smooth and creamy, but were missing something. The chopped peanuts and flax seeds give these little bites a nice crunch. Flax seeds have healthy omega-3 fats that are good for your heart. So, not only do they add texture, but they have health benefits as well.

These mini bites can be whipped up in 15 minutes. The longest part is rolling up the bites, it’s a little messy, but it’s so worth it. I brought these bites to work and I’ve been snacking on them during my morning break.

OK, let’s get started.

Put a small pot on medium heat. Add your favorite nut butter (I used cashew butter), coconut oil, almond milk, unsweetened cocoa powder, Stevia, cinnamon, shredded coconut, salt, and chocolate protein powder. Then add a 1/4 of a banana and mash it up with a fork. The heat will break it down.

Stir everything to combine into a chocolatey pudding texture. It only takes about a minute.

Take the pot off the heat and fold in 1 cup of oats, flax seeds and chopped peanuts. A lot of recipes I found said to use the quick cooking oats, but I used old fashioned oats and they came out just fine.

Roll into balls and put on baking sheet covered with parchment paper. I made each bite about 1 tbsp. You can eat them like this, or you can put them in the fridge for 30 min. to harden them a bit.

These little bites are so tasty without all the added sugar. They are the cousin of truffles, but with a healthy spin.

Then add a 1/4 of a banana and mash it up with a fork. The heat will break it down.

Stir everything to combine into a chocolatey pudding texture. It only take about a minute.

Take the pot off the heat and fold in 1 cup of oats, 2 tbsp. flax seeds and 2 tbsp. chopped peanuts. *Note: A lot of recipes I found said to use the quick cooking oats, but I used old fashioned oats and they came out just fine.